Now You Can Apply Earlier

Beginning with the 2017-2018 Academic Year, the FAFSA just go earlier and easier to complete. The FAFSA application is available a full 3 months earlier than it has been before. Instead of the January 1 release of the application, the FAFSA will be available beginning October 1 each year and this change begins October 1, 2016.

Deadlines

Tarleton has 2 priority filing dates for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 Academic years. December 1, is the Early Priority date for each year. This means your application will receive priority when institutional funds are allocated to financial aid applicants. The 2nd Priority filing date is February 15. This is the final filing deadline to be considered for institutional funding.

No More Guess and Check

The "easier" part of the 2017-2018 FASFA and 2018-2019 FAFSA is the change to using Prior-Prior Year Tax Return information. This means, when you complete the 2017-2018 FASFA or 2018-2019 FAFSA, the income information you will use will come from you and/or your parents 2015 or2016 Federal Tax Return. At the time you are able to complete the 2017-2018 FASFA or 2018-2019 FAFSA, the 2015-16 tax returns have already been filed. There should not be any delay in getting that information onto your FAFSA. No more waiting for your taxes to be completed, no need to "estimate" your income and then have to correct your FAFSA has been filed.

Auto Fill Tool Now Available for FAFSA Application

Another tool that you can use to make your application easier is to take advantage of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. This is an option you can choose while you are filling out your FAFSA online. It is available to you and your parents. By choosing the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, it allows the FAFSA application to be automatically populated with the actual information that has been filed with the IRS. This reduces data entry errors and reduces your being selected for Verification.

Below is a chart to help you see which FAFSA you should file depending upon when you plan to attend college and what tax information will be required, along with the priority FAFSA filing dates for Tarleton State University:

If You Plan to Attend College From

You Will Submit This FAFSA

You Can Submit The FAFSA From

Using Income and Tax Information From

July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016

2015-2016

January 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016

2014

July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017

2016-2017

January 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017

2015

July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018

2017-2018

January 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018

2015

July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019

2018-2019

January 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019

2016

Should I Fill Out FAFSA?

If you are one of the following:

U.S. Citizen

Permanent U.S. resident with an Alien Registration card
( I - 551)

Conditional Permanent U.S resident with visa type I-551C

Eligible non-citizen with Arrival/Departure Record (I-94) showing
one of the following: